Guest Posting: The 5 Best Alternatives to Powerpoint by Joanne Westley
Joanne Westley is a senior manager in the supply chain of the UK’s Jansen Display. In her spare time Joanne likes to go mountain biking as well as hiking in the Lake District.
Presentations are stressful, and PowerPoint can make them even more so. Will the computer read your USB stick? Will the version of PowerPoint be different? Are your pictures and video going to show up right?
And, even if all that works out, will you hear a groan from the audience when they see the first slide from yet another cookie cutter slideshow?
Break the cycle and move beyond PowerPoint. There are new and exciting tools available that will let you add some spice to your talk, as well as open new avenues for collaboration.
Prezi
Prezi is the darling child of next-gen presentations. While the user interface can be daunting to a novice user, once mastered Prezi can produce murmurs of approval from your audience. While you can recreate the sterile slideshow feel within Prezi, it also has the ability to zoom in and out, rotate, and create visual experiences that are not possible from PowerPoint. Prezi can also integrate YouTube and other content seamlessly.
SlideRocket
Sliderocket will look much more familiar to PowerPoint users. It’s slide based, but offers a snazzier selection of tools and ingredients out of the box than PowerPoint. You can add charts, tables, video, and audio, and the interface is very intuitive. Be careful though, both SlideRocket and Prezi will have issues if running on a slow computer or an out of date browser.
Google Docs
The Presentations feature of Google Documents is a simple, no-nonsense slide creator. It offers the majority of the same features as PowerPoint, although it lacks the ability to insert audio and has less presentation customization. However, given the growing popularity of the Google Documents suite, this is a safe choice for group presentations since it’s likely they already have a Google account.
Whiteboards
One thing these digital formats lack is the ability to make adjustments to your presentation on the fly. Instead of PowerPoint or another online show, consider using a simple whiteboard for your presentation. This allows you to more closely tie your visual content to your talk by creating it as you go, as well as making your presentation more interactive by having the ability to answer questions on the whiteboard. Just make sure you and your audience will be comfortable with your handwriting and diagramming.
Zoho Show
Another online alternative, Zoho Show is as close to an online clone of PowerPoint as it gets. The menus and options have the same look and feel as the traditional Microsoft product, and so Zoho would be a good choice for a less technically savvy group who still wants to use an online digital platform for their presentation.
No matter which tool you choose, take the time to learn it and your material well, and your presentation will be a success. Based on my research, Prezi has the most potential for creating a Wow! experience, while Google Presentations is number one for ease of use. If you have an artistic streak, though, go for the whiteboard. Good luck!
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Even though I train on topics that lend themselves to visuals (social media/internet marketing) I absolutely hate using PPT! It takes away from any spontaneity, it takes the audience’s eyes off me which hinders the relationship-building that starts on stage and ends in the back of the room, and it’s one more detail to keep track of and prepare. Bleh! I prefer to use good old handouts (with screen shots if necessary) or to give them a link to an ebook/workbook to grab after the conference. I do sometimes have the computer/projector set up to show them things live on the web as well. I’ll take a look at some of the options you’ve listed as well but in general I prefer a “high touch low tech” style for my high tech topic! LOL! Great suggestions, it’s good to have options!
By Karen Clark on 04.13.12 4:28 pm
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